ere various. Sometimes liberty
was conferred through the agency of saws and ropes, at other times
through that of a habeas corpus and an incontestible alibi. His means
were adapted to the circumstances of the case, and it was believed that
if Sparky could be induced to take up the case of a captured rogue, the
man had better chance of finding himself free than the law had of
keeping him behind bars, especially if his case were treated before it
had passed into its more chronic stages.

Sparky's success was greatly due to his extremely specious manner, and
his power of playing the part that the occasion demanded. In this
particular he was even the superior of Mandit, who was an adept in this
line. These two men found no difficulty in securing the services of
proficient burglars, safe-robbers, and the like; for, in addition to the
high rewards paid these men, they were in a manner insured against
permanent imprisonment in case of misfortune. It was always arranged
that, if any of their enterprises came to grief, and if either Mandit or
Sparky should happen to be arrested, the working miscreants should
substantiate any story their superiors might choose to tell of
themselves, and, if necessary, to take upon themselves the whole
responsibility of the crime. In this case their speedy release was to be
looked upon as assured.

A great deal of evidence in regard to the character and practices of
these two men came from the stout burglar, commonly known as Barney
Fitch. When he found that nothing was to be expected from his two
astute employers, and that they were in as bad a place as himself, he
promptly turned State's evidence, and told all that he knew about them.

It was through the testimony of this man that the motive for the
attempted robbery of my house was found out. It had no connection
whatever with the other burglaries of our neighbourhood, those,
probably, having been committed by low-class thieves, who had not broken
into my house simply because my doors and windows had been so well
secured; nor had our boy, George William, any share whatever in the
protection of the household.

The burglary was undertaken solely for the purpose of getting possession
of some important law papers, which were to be used in a case in which I
was concerned, which soon would be tried. If these papers could be
secured by the opposite party, the side on which I was engaged would
have no case at all, and a suit involving a great deal